Weekly Meal Plan // March 7-12

SUNDAY

We have a cooking class tonight with some of my favorite recipes. Grilled lamb rib chops, a colorful radicchio, radish and butter lettuce salad and a roasted red pepper dip called muhammara that’s somewhat similar to romesco. We’re capping it all off with an upside down blackberry cake. My recipe is gluten-free and uses cornmeal and gluten-free flour. Here’s a similar recipe.

MONDAY

Starting the week off with glazed wild salmon, potato wedges and Caesar. To make the potatoes, just scrub Russet potatoes clean and cut in thick wedges–no need to peel first. Toss with olive oil and seasoning salt (I like Redmond Real Salt Season Salt) and roast at 425 for about 45 minutes.

TUESDAY

My younger two may want quesadillas on the side or just some chips and guacamole for dipping!

Instant Pot or Stovetop Simple Green Posole

Traditionally made with pork or leftover carnitas, you can also make this delicious soup with chicken thighs or rotisserie chicken. Serves 4

• 1 tablespoon avocado oil
• 1/2 white onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 pound tomatillos, skins removed
• 1 pound boneless/skinless chicken thighs, cut in 2-inch pieces
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (29-ounce) can hominy, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups shredded cabbage
• 2 limes, cut in wedges
• 3 radishes
• Avocado slices
• Chopped fresh jalapeno or pickled jalapeno
• Cilantro
• Mexican crema, sour cream or plain Greek yogurt

1. Heat an Instant Pot on the sauté setting.
2. Warm the avocado oil and add the onion. Sauté until softened, about 2 minutes, and add the garlic. Then add the stock, tomatillos, chicken and bay leaf. Add salt and pepper and stir
3. Close the lid, set pressure to “sealing” and cook for 15 minutes on high pressure.  It will take about 10 minutes to come up to pressure. Meanwhile, drain and rinse the can of hominy.
4. When finished, quick release the pressure. Carefully open the pressure cooker.
5. Add the hominy and cook for 10 minutes more under high pressure. Meanwhile, prepare the toppings.
6. Shred cabbage or lettuce, cut lime into wedges, and thinly slice radishes.
7. When the cook time is up, quick release the pressure. Taste and season the pozole with more salt and pepper if needed. Serve warm bowls of pozole with toppings.
8. Stovetop Directions: If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can use a large (6-quart) pot. Warm the avocado oil and sauté the onion until softened. Add the garlic and stir. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 45 minutes. The chicken and hominy should be covered with liquid at all time, so add more stock or water if needed. Taste for salt and add more if necessary when finished cooking.

WEDNESDAY

Cajun pan-seared chicken with a simple salad and roasted okra. I also have a bunch of sweet potatoes from my Farmhouse Delivery, so may cube a bunch and roast them. Just toss in extra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil, salt and pepper and roast for 30 minutes at 425, tossing them half way through roasting.

Cajun Spiced Chicken Breasts

• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne (or more to taste)
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• Fresh ground pepper
• 4 chicken breasts (sliced in half horizontally into two thinner cutlets)
• Avocado oil

1. Mix spice ingredients together (onion-pepper) in a small bowl.
2. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. After cutting the breasts in half to create two thinner cutlets, pound them out slightly. I use a meat pounder, but you can also cover the chicken with plastic wrap and use a rolling pin.
3. Season the chicken on both sides with about a teaspoon of the spice mixture; set aside. You can do this step several hours in advance if you’d like.
4. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
5. Warm a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon of avocado oil and warm until shimmering, swirl it around the pan. Add 2-3 chicken cutlets at a time, being careful not to crowd the pan, and cook for about 1-2 minutes per side. Sauté them in batches if you have a small skillet, and add more avocado oil to the pan in between batches. The chicken should be a golden color.
6. Transfer the chicken breasts to a plate and transfer to the warmed oven while you finish cooking the remaining cutlets. Make sure an instant read thermometer reads 165 in the middle of each chicken breast.
7. I like to serve these over a tangy arugula salad with extra lemon wedges on the side.

THURSDAY

I was planning to make Buffalo Chicken Wings, but then realized we’ve had lots of chicken this week! I think I’ll save them for a spring break meal or apres-ski snack! Let’s make gluten-free sheet pan meatballs. Throw in a sheet pan of mixed veggies to roast at the same time. Serve the meatballs in a bowl over mashed potatoes, pasta or the roasted veggies and top with Rao’s!

FRIDAY

I’m not cooking tonight, but if you are why not make a big batch of lamb stew. Perfect for a date night at home!